Home & Garden News

March 21, 2012

With spring beginning Tuesday, I thought an article on spring flowers would be timely. I have crocuses in bloom at my house and the tulips and daffodils are coming up. All of these flowers are grown from bulbs that I planted in the fall or a couple of years before in the fall. If you see flowers this time of year that you like, make yourself a note to buy what you liked in the fall when you should plant bulbs for spring flowering plants.

According to the WVU Garden calendar we should order spring-flowering bulbs around Sept. 1, and then follow the directions included with the bulbs you purchased for the best results. Depending on the types of bulbs you purchase planting dates may vary. Remember that there are bulbs for flowering at different times of the year. You should dig cannas, dahlias, glads, begonias and tender bulbs out of the ground in the fall before planting your spring bulbs.

Flowering bulbs like daffodils, tulips, hyacinths and crocus are some of the earliest flowers to appear in gardens each year, some start to bloom as early as January. Many will bloom and multiply for years with minimal care, while others are best planted for one season's show of color. Bulbs can be planted in flower beds, in lawns, around trees or grown in pots or window boxes.

Spring bulbs flower from late winter to early summer, depending on species. After bloom is finished, they continue to grow and store food for a period of time before dying back to ground level and becoming dormant through the summer and into fall. Spring-flowering bulbs start to grow roots again in the fall and winter to prepare for the following spring bloom. They are planted in the fall or early winter in this area.

It is important to remember that you need to leave the foliage on the plant so that it can provide food for the bulb underneath and next year's flowers. Once the flower has finished blooming you should remove the spent flower and let the foliage die back on its own.

Spent flowers go to seed, taking energy away from the bulb. Remove leaves only after they turn brown.

The bulb at the right depth and to make sure you put the bulb in the hole right side up.

And if you have trouble with animals digging up your bulbs in your garden plant them in wire or strawberry baskets to protect them. The plant will grow through the wire basket and the bulb will be protected from animals.

45th annual bull sale announced

Thursday, March 22 is the date for the 45th Annual West Virginia Total Performance Bull Sale. The sale starts at noon at the WVU Reyman Memorial Farm. For catalogs, please call 304-472-4020 or go to www.wvbeef.org/wbt/wbt.html.

Pa. beef expo

set for March 29

The Pennsylvania Beef Expo is being held March 29 to 30 at the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Livestock Evaluation Center (LEC) in Pennsylvania Furnace, Pa. For more information on the Pennsylvania Beef Expo go to www.pacattle.org. The 2012 Pennsylvania Performance-Tested Bull Sale will start at noon on Friday, March 30 at the LEC.

For more information go to www.livestockevaluationcenter.com and click on catalogs or contact the Expo Office Headquarters at the Livestock Evaluation Center at 814-238-2527.

West Virginia Beef Expo announced

The West Virginia Beef Expo will be held April 12 to 14 this year at the Jackson's Mill State 4-H Conference Center.

INWOOD - The Berkeley County Farm Bureau is holding a complimentary Farmer Appreciation Breakfast on Saturday, March 17 from 7 to 11 a.m. at the Bill Butler Farm located on the Arden Nollville Road, Inwood.

Gardening 101 program offered

MARTINSBURG - The Berkeley-Jefferson Extension Master Gardeners will hold a Gardening 101 Workshop for beginning gardeners on Saturday, March 24 from 9 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. at the WVU Kearneysville Tree Fruit Research and Education Center locate at 67 Apple Harvest Lane (off of old Route 9) in Kearneysville. Registration will be $5 (collected at the door), and the workshop is limited to 55 participants.